Blessed Assurance
by mustlovecat
Summary: FlackLindsay friendship. One shot. In a hospital corridor, a friendship is born.


**A/N **Thanks again to all who have been reading and enjoying my fics. I'm having soooo much fun! This one is for those who have encouraged me to indulge in my love for Flack. It takes place directly after the season 3 finale, preceding the rest of my fics.

**Disclaimer** I. Own. Nothing.

"Here, Linds."

She escaped her thoughts and glanced up as Don handed her a hot cup of coffee. She accepted it gratefully with a small smile as he sat down next to her in one of the hard chairs lining the hospital corridor. "Thanks."

He just nodded, taking a sip of his own.

For a few quiet moments, they both just sat there, drinking their coffee, saying their own silent prayers.

Finally, Don leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees before he glanced over at her. "You were good out there today. Kept your cool. I know it was hard."

"I didn't do anything apart from trying to stay out of the way. You're the one who had the career-making day." She reached over and patted his back. "Not that my opinion matters, but you really rocked today. I heard excerpts of this morning's press conference on the news, and I gotta tell you, I was impressed with how you handled everything. And that doesn't even come close to how well you dealt with the situation at the warehouse. I really believe that you got Danny and Adam out of there alive."

"I was just doin' my job."

"Well, _I_ appreciate it. So, quit being so modest. Though it's incredibly sexy, so keep it up and it might get you a few numbers at Sullivan's later."

He chuckled softly. He sat up in the chair then, turning slightly to look at her. "So I guess it's true, huh? Lindsay Monroe's officially off the market?"

She raised her eyebrows.

"Don't give me that look, doll. You were all about Messer today. Situations like this don't really allow for subtlety."

Lindsay bit her lip, her expression betraying a little embarrassment. Now that it was all over, she was mentally reviewing the day, wondering just how many times she had slipped out of her professional demeanor, from being a concerned fellow cop or even friend to being a concerned lover.

"Look, don't kill Messer, but he told me that he flew to Montana back in February."

She sighed softly. She was not angry with Danny. She just had not expected to be discussing their relationship tonight with anyone but him, not when it was still so new and undefined. However, she saw no point in denying anything to Danny's best friend when he obviously already had some insider knowledge. "I was really scared today," she admitted. "I just finally found a way to get past everything that had been holding me back and then suddenly I thought I was going to lose him."

"He's going to be fine, Linds," Don assured her. "This surgery, it's just to set a couple broken fingers. A few weeks in a cast, some physical therapy, and he'll be good as new. Then he'll be showin' off his battle scars and this will all turn into some urban legend about the day the Irish mob had their asses kicked by the NYPD."

"I know. I just – He took my shift. He wasn't even supposed to be working this morning."

This was news to him and he quickly understood how this was playing itself out in her mind. "Hey, listen to me: don't start beating yourself up over this. Trust me, Dan's not going to. I know him, and if anything, he's thanking the man upstairs right now for putting _him _in there and not you. This is – This isn't completely unfamiliar territory for him. He knew what he needed to do in there. If it had been you …" Flack trailed off, not wanting to even contemplate the alternatives. It was not that he did not think Lindsay was competent to handle things. He just was not sure that Wilder's crew would have left her alive long enough to try.

Lindsay took another sip of her coffee, then absent-mindedly swirled the remaining liquid around in her cup.

"Far be it from me to dish out relationship advice, but I've known Dan for a lot of years now, so I feel compelled to tell you that he's a proud man –"

"Gee, there's a newsflash," she quipped.

Don shared her laugh. "I'm just sayin', he's not gonna be the easiest guy to be around the next few weeks. Not because he blames you for anything, but because Mac's a by-the-book kind of guy and he is going to make him take the mandatory time off, pass the psych eval, and all that bureaucratic crap. None of that's gonna sit well with Dan, trust me. You just might have to be a little patient."

She nodded. She had already started preparing herself for the task; unfortunately, being patient was not something she was not overly proficient at. She sat back in her chair, running a hand through her hair. "Thanks. For everything."

Flack shrugged.

"Would you – Can you just maybe keep this to yourself for a while? We're still trying to figure all this out and …"

"Yeah, Of course. Look, for what it's worth, I'm glad you guys, you know – Whatever this is, I'm happy for ya."

"Thanks."

He nodded and knocked back some more of his coffee. He laid his head back against the wall, the length and intensity of the day finally starting to set in.

Lindsay offered a small smile. "So, how's it feel?"

"What?"

"C'mon, Flack. You led the charge on the biggest drug bust this city has ever seen. If all you had before was the status of being Donald Flack Sr.'s son, you've made your own mark now. I mean, you've stepped out of his shadow and attained your own legend status with this. That's got to feel … Hell, I don't know. How _does_ that feel?"

Don shook his head. He really did not know. Nothing had really sunk in yet.

"You know, Danny's going to be pretty groggy when he even gets out of this. He won't know the difference and even if he did, he would not begrudge you tonight. If you want to head on over to Sullivan's and join the party –"

"Nah. I think I'll just hang out here if that's okay with you."

She could not deny that she felt more than a little relieved for the company, still overwhelmed and a little shaken. He could read all of her mixed emotions on her face, feeling many of them himself, so he gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and drew her against him. She gratefully laid her head against his shoulder with a weary sigh.

"Did Dan ever tell you about the time …"

And as Don regaled her with stories of his and Danny's exploits out in the field to pass the time, she realized that there was a definite perk to being with Danny – she had inherited a new best friend.


End file.
